The foolish search (Eccl 1:13-1:14)

“I applied my mind

To seek

To search out

By wisdom

All that is done under heaven.

It is an unhappy business

That God has given to human beings

To be busy with.

I saw all the deeds

That are done under the sun.

See!

All is vanity.

All is a chasing after wind.”

Qoheleth applied his mind with wisdom. He wanted to seek and search out everything under the heavens. He wanted an encyclopedic mind, or as we would say a Wikipedia mind. However, he thought that this is an unhappy business that God allows humans to be involved with, the search for knowledge. Notice that throughout this work, God and not Yahweh is used. Qoheleth boasts that he has seen all the deeds that were done under the sun. His response is that it is all in vain. All is vanity, useless, or temporary. Once the wind came, it would be gone. Searching for knowledge was like chasing the wind. You would never catch it